Mags L Halliday
@magslhalliday.bsky.social
Writer. Waffler. Former redhead. Occasional public sector comms person. All views my own.
Currently open to commissions or interim roles.
She/Her.
Please use alt text on images.
www.magslhalliday.co.uk or https://linktr.ee/magslhalliday
Currently open to commissions or interim roles.
She/Her.
Please use alt text on images.
www.magslhalliday.co.uk or https://linktr.ee/magslhalliday
Pinned
twilight sparkle from my little pony laying on a shelf looking at a book
Alt: twilight sparkle from my little pony laying on a shelf reading a book and using her magic to flip the page.
media.tenor.com
It’s my 2026 books finished thread!
(For the purposes of the list, gazetteers where I’ve read the intro essays will also be counted.)
(For the purposes of the list, gazetteers where I’ve read the intro essays will also be counted.)
Exeter people!
First stop for @jamesbluecat.bsky.social on the PAGANS tour is @waterstones.bsky.social Exeter. Grab a ticket and ask him a question, from the generic ("where do you get your ideas?") to the hyper-specific ("what would the finger runes for 'happy birthday' be?"). www.waterstones.com/events/pagan...
February 10, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Exeter people!
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
BREAKING NEWS: We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the Southbank Centre - the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall and skaters undercroft - has finally been Grade II listed by DCMS after a 35 year long campaign.
➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/southba...
➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/southba...
February 10, 2026 at 7:03 AM
BREAKING NEWS: We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the Southbank Centre - the Hayward Gallery, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall and skaters undercroft - has finally been Grade II listed by DCMS after a 35 year long campaign.
➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/southba...
➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/southba...
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Today is the 5th anniversary of the release of the infamous #Lawyercat video, which I posted roughly thirty minutes after the start of the second impeachment trial. Who would have thought it would have such a lasting impact on the world! Happy Lawyercat Day for all who celebrate!
Happy #Lawyercat Anniversary for all who celebrate! It's been four years since the kitten appeared in my Zoom courtroom, and I released the 48 second video that made the whole world laugh. Here is the full video showing the big reveal at the end (in two parts because Blue sky). Enjoy!
February 9, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Today is the 5th anniversary of the release of the infamous #Lawyercat video, which I posted roughly thirty minutes after the start of the second impeachment trial. Who would have thought it would have such a lasting impact on the world! Happy Lawyercat Day for all who celebrate!
When I was young, a new, virulent, strain of Dutch Elm disease emerged. Being small, I thought it was a disease that attacked a tree species called Dutch Elms. I worked it out when I was older.
I only discovered it was called that because four women studied it in the last year.
I only discovered it was called that because four women studied it in the last year.
#OnThisDay, 10 Feb 1917, plant pathologist Johanna Westerdijk becomes the first woman appointed as a professor in the Netherlands when she joins Utrecht University.
#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #WomenInSTEM 🗃️
1/2
#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #WomenInSTEM 🗃️
1/2
February 10, 2026 at 9:20 AM
When I was young, a new, virulent, strain of Dutch Elm disease emerged. Being small, I thought it was a disease that attacked a tree species called Dutch Elms. I worked it out when I was older.
I only discovered it was called that because four women studied it in the last year.
I only discovered it was called that because four women studied it in the last year.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
False modesty is bullshit. So this is an exceptional episode of the podcast I have poured my heart, soul and brain into for ten years. It was a privilege to discuss C.S. Lewis with Rowan Williams, knowing a) you'd get to hear it and b) nobody does it like we do. www.backlisted.fm/episodes/257...
257. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis — Backlisted
Dr Rowan Williams, theologian, poet and former Archbishop of Canterbury, joins Andy and John for a thoughtful and moving discussion of Till We Have Faces (1956), the last novel by C.S. Lew...
www.backlisted.fm
February 10, 2026 at 7:41 AM
False modesty is bullshit. So this is an exceptional episode of the podcast I have poured my heart, soul and brain into for ten years. It was a privilege to discuss C.S. Lewis with Rowan Williams, knowing a) you'd get to hear it and b) nobody does it like we do. www.backlisted.fm/episodes/257...
There’s a tiny baby Cthulu!
Dammit, Minions & Monsters is exactly the sort of film I’d want to pitch. It looks wonderful. youtu.be/yhSHsBEZQAg?...
MINIONS AND MONSTERS Official Trailer Super Bowl (NEW 2026) MINIONS 3
YouTube video by FilmSpot Trailer
youtu.be
February 10, 2026 at 8:10 AM
There’s a tiny baby Cthulu!
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Bloody hell just seen this "tribute" to John Virgo on Facebook. Possibly the worst thing I've ever seen.
And will this snooker ball be the new Paddington? (Or penguin, I can't keep up).
And will this snooker ball be the new Paddington? (Or penguin, I can't keep up).
February 9, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Bloody hell just seen this "tribute" to John Virgo on Facebook. Possibly the worst thing I've ever seen.
And will this snooker ball be the new Paddington? (Or penguin, I can't keep up).
And will this snooker ball be the new Paddington? (Or penguin, I can't keep up).
This is a great thread, highlighting the hidden power of craft, networks and building community, and the implicit patriarchal bias that informs complaining* about them as not being “proper” activism.
*it’s not even a critique, dudes, it’s just about devaluing types of labour other than your own.
*it’s not even a critique, dudes, it’s just about devaluing types of labour other than your own.
Please don't accuse people in knitted hats of only wearing their supposed politics if all you're doing is posting, which is basically just another way of wearing your politics. It's a silly thing to attack people over in any case. Using fashion to signal support for ongoing acts of rebellion is good
February 9, 2026 at 3:32 PM
This is a great thread, highlighting the hidden power of craft, networks and building community, and the implicit patriarchal bias that informs complaining* about them as not being “proper” activism.
*it’s not even a critique, dudes, it’s just about devaluing types of labour other than your own.
*it’s not even a critique, dudes, it’s just about devaluing types of labour other than your own.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Even in this thoughtful and excellent essay, the exceptionalism is hard to shake. "Where else but in America could a left-wing, brown-skinned immigrant, a racialised ‘other’, become the mayor of a globally influential city?" Who is the mayor of London? Who are the mayors of Montreal and Toronto?
‘As the Swedish diplomatic historian Anders Stephanson writes, “the alarming fact” is that “everyone on this earth has an enormous stake in how the United States chooses to be and act in this world.” Not just enormous, but existential.’
Adam Shatz’s Winter Lecture:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Adam Shatz’s Winter Lecture:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Adam Shatz · Another Country: Visions of America
Is America a dream or a nightmare, a democratic paradise or a bastion of white supremacy and religious intolerance? Is...
www.lrb.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Even in this thoughtful and excellent essay, the exceptionalism is hard to shake. "Where else but in America could a left-wing, brown-skinned immigrant, a racialised ‘other’, become the mayor of a globally influential city?" Who is the mayor of London? Who are the mayors of Montreal and Toronto?
Come to sunny Devon, they said. It'll be fun, they said.
Feel like the rain hasn’t stopped? ☔
For some places, it really hasn’t! 😦
North Wyke, Cardinham and Astwood Bank have recorded rain every single day so far this year 🌧️
For some places, it really hasn’t! 😦
North Wyke, Cardinham and Astwood Bank have recorded rain every single day so far this year 🌧️
February 9, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Come to sunny Devon, they said. It'll be fun, they said.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Mornington Crescent: a rant.
Or: how a goofy word game about train stations is the key to how devout causes can ruin people's ability to have a conversation.
Stand clear of the closing doors, let's begin.
1/18
Or: how a goofy word game about train stations is the key to how devout causes can ruin people's ability to have a conversation.
Stand clear of the closing doors, let's begin.
1/18
February 9, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Mornington Crescent: a rant.
Or: how a goofy word game about train stations is the key to how devout causes can ruin people's ability to have a conversation.
Stand clear of the closing doors, let's begin.
1/18
Or: how a goofy word game about train stations is the key to how devout causes can ruin people's ability to have a conversation.
Stand clear of the closing doors, let's begin.
1/18
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
3D has been the “go to” saviour of cinema at the times in history when it has been most threatened (50s with rise of TV, 80s with home video, 00s/10s with online piracy). Every time it’s been touted as the only way cinema can survive. Every time it’s gone away very quietly and at great expense.
February 9, 2026 at 8:05 AM
3D has been the “go to” saviour of cinema at the times in history when it has been most threatened (50s with rise of TV, 80s with home video, 00s/10s with online piracy). Every time it’s been touted as the only way cinema can survive. Every time it’s gone away very quietly and at great expense.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Owls are good. Some are superb.
February 8, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Owls are good. Some are superb.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
the magic of the Muppets is that there are two fourth walls. they constantly break the one that reminds the audience they are performers. they NEVER break the one that reminds the audience they are puppets. this dynamic is the key to their entire comedy style
MY KIDS: so why are there muppets in the AUDIENCE
ME: THE CONCEIT!! IS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING ON A VARIETY SHOW!!! IN A WORLD WHERE MUPPET AND HUMAN COEXIST!!! YOU ARE WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY!! FILMED!! IN REAL TIME!!!
ME: THE CONCEIT!! IS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING ON A VARIETY SHOW!!! IN A WORLD WHERE MUPPET AND HUMAN COEXIST!!! YOU ARE WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY!! FILMED!! IN REAL TIME!!!
February 8, 2026 at 6:22 AM
the magic of the Muppets is that there are two fourth walls. they constantly break the one that reminds the audience they are performers. they NEVER break the one that reminds the audience they are puppets. this dynamic is the key to their entire comedy style
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Just in case you should need one, all of The Nazis: A Warning from History is now on the iPlayer
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074kmy
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074kmy
The Nazis: A Warning from History - 1. Helped into Power
Documentary series examining how Hitler came to power. By January 1933, Germany had voted for a chancellor who was openly opposed to democracy.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Just in case you should need one, all of The Nazis: A Warning from History is now on the iPlayer
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074kmy
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074kmy
This may not seem new, given the Atlantic wrote about Substack having a Nazi problem in 2023, but it provides a current snapshot.
Useful if you’re a comms/PR person whose senior leader wants a substack.
Ghost and buttondown seem to be the popular alternatives.
Useful if you’re a comms/PR person whose senior leader wants a substack.
Ghost and buttondown seem to be the popular alternatives.
February 7, 2026 at 5:42 PM
This may not seem new, given the Atlantic wrote about Substack having a Nazi problem in 2023, but it provides a current snapshot.
Useful if you’re a comms/PR person whose senior leader wants a substack.
Ghost and buttondown seem to be the popular alternatives.
Useful if you’re a comms/PR person whose senior leader wants a substack.
Ghost and buttondown seem to be the popular alternatives.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
“That explanation is patriarchy, and feminists have been talking about it for a very long time now, so you’ll forgive me if I get pissy when you can’t find room for it in any of your 3,000 scathing tweets.”
Lord forgive me, but it's time to go back to the old me: Trying to get dudes on the Internet to say "patriarchy" about the Epstein files:
You Know, You Can Just Say "Patriarchy"
These analyses of the Epstein case are... missing something.
jude-doyle.ghost.io
February 7, 2026 at 3:44 PM
“That explanation is patriarchy, and feminists have been talking about it for a very long time now, so you’ll forgive me if I get pissy when you can’t find room for it in any of your 3,000 scathing tweets.”
T K Maxx for the win.
February 7, 2026 at 2:19 PM
T K Maxx for the win.
Teen has complained they feel attacked. And also that this is inaccurate as they spend all their time lying on the floor of their room.
I got their permission to feed this back.
I got their permission to feed this back.
Dexter Livingstone, 37, claimed that he needed the rest after a long week at work – by which he meant a long couple of hours working from home, followed by many more hours of binge watching Battlestar Galactica.
“I’m just going to veg out on my sofa today” says autistic man who just vegges out on sofa every day
An autistic man who announced plans to “have a chilled one on the couch today” neglected to mention that he has a chilled one on the couch every day, it has been rumoured. Dexter Livingstone, 37,…
thedailytism.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Teen has complained they feel attacked. And also that this is inaccurate as they spend all their time lying on the floor of their room.
I got their permission to feed this back.
I got their permission to feed this back.
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Absolutely tremendous work here, no notes.
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
February 7, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Absolutely tremendous work here, no notes.
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
It's papier mâché snail day!
#OnThisDay, 7 Feb 1971, women in Switzerland win the right to vote in federal elections after a national referendum.*
Snail pic is from a suffrage protest in 1928 which was complaining about the slow progress towards #VotesForWomen.
#WomenInHistory #SwissHistory 🗃️
1/2
Snail pic is from a suffrage protest in 1928 which was complaining about the slow progress towards #VotesForWomen.
#WomenInHistory #SwissHistory 🗃️
1/2
February 7, 2026 at 11:28 AM
It's papier mâché snail day!
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Hey everyone, this recall has been expanded. If you formula feed, please check your supply.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
February 7, 2026 at 10:50 AM
Hey everyone, this recall has been expanded. If you formula feed, please check your supply.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
Last night there was a vigil for the first cycling fatality of the year on London's streets. I was there. Here are some thoughts (no paywall).
If this strikes a chord with you, please comment on the post and share.
open.substack.com/pub/nedboult...
If this strikes a chord with you, please comment on the post and share.
open.substack.com/pub/nedboult...
February 7, 2026 at 10:20 AM
Last night there was a vigil for the first cycling fatality of the year on London's streets. I was there. Here are some thoughts (no paywall).
If this strikes a chord with you, please comment on the post and share.
open.substack.com/pub/nedboult...
If this strikes a chord with you, please comment on the post and share.
open.substack.com/pub/nedboult...
Reposted by Mags L Halliday
I really hope people advocating to ban kids from SM read this. Some kids are isolated by disabilities or circumstances. Furthermore, some kids grow up in abusive households. “Ideally, a child’s exposure to online worlds should be moderated by their parents” isn’t a reassuring sentiment for everyone
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
‘I’ve lost my friends’: advocacy groups warn Australia’s social media ban risks isolating kids with disabilities
Despite the ban’s aim to protect young people, experts are concerned that those in marginalised communities or living with disabilities could lose vital support networks
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:06 AM
I really hope people advocating to ban kids from SM read this. Some kids are isolated by disabilities or circumstances. Furthermore, some kids grow up in abusive households. “Ideally, a child’s exposure to online worlds should be moderated by their parents” isn’t a reassuring sentiment for everyone